Do we simply enjoy getting drunk more than others
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Join Date: Mar 2014
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Do we simply enjoy getting drunk more than others
When I was in my teens I remember my friends getting drunk along with me but they didnt care too much if they got drunk or not, whereas I absolutely loved getting drunk and I always made sure I had enough alcohol to make sure I could get drunk on a Friday or Saturday night.
As I moved into my twenties I started going to bars more often and used to have a great laugh getting drunk. I really enjoyed the hours between my first drink and getting drunk, I would be more sociable, had more success with women and basically had a great time. However I was beginning to drink till i blacked out and people were starting to think I was a drunk.
Even though I knew I was developing a drink a problem I couldn't resist drinking at the weekend because I still really enjoyed the laugh I would have with people before I got to the inevitable point of blacking out. I looked forward to it all week.
Eventually it spiraled into getting into fights, waking up in hospital, waking up in jail cells ect
I love the process of getting drunk before the pass out stage, its something I have always enjoyed and I miss it now. However the bad things far out weigh the good things so I cant drink now.
Thats what has almost tempted me to drink again if im sitting in my house on a Saturday night I know I could be having a great laugh and enjoying myself because I love the feeling of getting drunk. I resist the urge to drink but it takes a lot of will power at times.
What im saying is, some people just love getting drunk and therefore have a high chance of becoming an alcoholic. I could never work out why I was so eager to drink alcohol from a young age but others werent bothered if they had alcohol or not, I honestly believe some people's brains are just wired up to massively enjoy the buzz of getting drunk and some arent.
As I moved into my twenties I started going to bars more often and used to have a great laugh getting drunk. I really enjoyed the hours between my first drink and getting drunk, I would be more sociable, had more success with women and basically had a great time. However I was beginning to drink till i blacked out and people were starting to think I was a drunk.
Even though I knew I was developing a drink a problem I couldn't resist drinking at the weekend because I still really enjoyed the laugh I would have with people before I got to the inevitable point of blacking out. I looked forward to it all week.
Eventually it spiraled into getting into fights, waking up in hospital, waking up in jail cells ect
I love the process of getting drunk before the pass out stage, its something I have always enjoyed and I miss it now. However the bad things far out weigh the good things so I cant drink now.
Thats what has almost tempted me to drink again if im sitting in my house on a Saturday night I know I could be having a great laugh and enjoying myself because I love the feeling of getting drunk. I resist the urge to drink but it takes a lot of will power at times.
What im saying is, some people just love getting drunk and therefore have a high chance of becoming an alcoholic. I could never work out why I was so eager to drink alcohol from a young age but others werent bothered if they had alcohol or not, I honestly believe some people's brains are just wired up to massively enjoy the buzz of getting drunk and some arent.
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Join Date: May 2012
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It's certainly possible, I know I enjoyed drinking and being drunk immensely for many years. What changed the game for me completely though was that I drank because i HAD to towards the end. That was not enjoyable by any stretch of the imagination.
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Join Date: Mar 2014
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I know exactly what you mean. I've never understood why people DON'T love getting drunk. I certainly do. EVERY reason is a good reason for me: good weather, bad weather, weekday, weekend, day, night, drinking with friends, drinking alone, happy, sad, bored, etc. They all seem like a great reason to drink. If only I could control it. But I can't. So I'm here.
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There is growing scientific evidence that alcohol and other drugs actually cause changes at synapses in the brain which result in greater pleasure being derived from both the subsequent anticipation and ingestion of alcohol and other drugs.
These changes take place in all people but more quickly in some than others. Also the earlier you start drinking the sooner the problems will emerge in adulthood. These changes are irreversible which accounts nicely for why we alcoholics go back to the same place or worse after a relapse.
Essentially alcoholics it seems are not born but made by exposure to alcohol. It is nothing to do with flaws in character, moral weakness etc, and all to do with the effects of the drug on synapses in the brain.
This results in some people wanting to get drunk more than others but I do suspect that if anyone drinks enough for long enough these changes in the brain will result in alcoholism in all at some stage.
The good news is that the problem can be cured by abstinence from alcohol and other drugs!
These changes take place in all people but more quickly in some than others. Also the earlier you start drinking the sooner the problems will emerge in adulthood. These changes are irreversible which accounts nicely for why we alcoholics go back to the same place or worse after a relapse.
Essentially alcoholics it seems are not born but made by exposure to alcohol. It is nothing to do with flaws in character, moral weakness etc, and all to do with the effects of the drug on synapses in the brain.
This results in some people wanting to get drunk more than others but I do suspect that if anyone drinks enough for long enough these changes in the brain will result in alcoholism in all at some stage.
The good news is that the problem can be cured by abstinence from alcohol and other drugs!
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I dunno - I had lots of friends who liked being drunk, but they would get drunk and go back to their normal lives.
I would carry on.
I think there was a lot more going on in me than a desire to get drunk.
D
I would carry on.
I think there was a lot more going on in me than a desire to get drunk.
D
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There could be some truth, but until more studies are done...who knows?
Your stories sound pretty familiar to me, and so do Carbon's. Unfortunately, Scott's words are also right on the money. That sucked. I had no idea what was even going on, I just knew that I was in big, big trouble. Those fun days were long gone by the time I quit.
I think we need to remember that in the grand scheme of things, life's pretty short. It's a hard habit to break, but I think we need to be better than the booze. We can rise above that. I used to love video games too, but now I think it's a very immature way to spend one's time, especially as an adult. We move on. We can't party on Spring Break until we're 55, it just doesn't work that way. It sure can be tough to get over it though, probably best not to dwell too much on the happy times and focus on what got you here. Because those days will come back.
Your stories sound pretty familiar to me, and so do Carbon's. Unfortunately, Scott's words are also right on the money. That sucked. I had no idea what was even going on, I just knew that I was in big, big trouble. Those fun days were long gone by the time I quit.
I think we need to remember that in the grand scheme of things, life's pretty short. It's a hard habit to break, but I think we need to be better than the booze. We can rise above that. I used to love video games too, but now I think it's a very immature way to spend one's time, especially as an adult. We move on. We can't party on Spring Break until we're 55, it just doesn't work that way. It sure can be tough to get over it though, probably best not to dwell too much on the happy times and focus on what got you here. Because those days will come back.
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Nope, we got a disease called alcoholism. Its a recognized disease from the american medical association. Its a 2 fold issue, body and brain. We cant do anything about the body except abstain, the mind we can do something about.
I do not enjoy puking my brains out, I do not enjoy drooling, or falling down, or crashing cars, or going to jail, or getting into drunken brawls. If I knew, with a clear memory, the suffering and pain of when I got drunk, I would never have gotten drunk twice. But I did. How does that happen? Could it be that my mind doesnt remember with sufficient force the pain and suffering from taking that first drink which always led to a numbing black out drunk.
I do not enjoy puking my brains out, I do not enjoy drooling, or falling down, or crashing cars, or going to jail, or getting into drunken brawls. If I knew, with a clear memory, the suffering and pain of when I got drunk, I would never have gotten drunk twice. But I did. How does that happen? Could it be that my mind doesnt remember with sufficient force the pain and suffering from taking that first drink which always led to a numbing black out drunk.
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Join Date: Dec 2012
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My experience was slightly different in that whilst at first I quite enjoyed drinking, I hated being drunk and couldn't understand why others would enjoy it either. It wasn't until I developed a problem with cocaine that I started to drink heavily, usually to make me pass out since it was near impossible to sleep otherwise. I suppose it's not too dissimilar though as I obviously use to enjoy being messed up one way or another!
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Join Date: Dec 2010
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Alcoholism is a progressive disease which may result or culminate in death. It is just as real and legitimate as diabetes or cancer. Read about THIQ (a substance found only in the brains of alcoholics).
Anyways...I've been sober 16 days. Today was pretty hard- wanted to stay home and relax today but decided to go to a meeting cause the urge to drink today was bugging me. Now I'm home eating dinner and the urge is almost 99% gone at this time.
Have a good night!
Anyways...I've been sober 16 days. Today was pretty hard- wanted to stay home and relax today but decided to go to a meeting cause the urge to drink today was bugging me. Now I'm home eating dinner and the urge is almost 99% gone at this time.
Have a good night!
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BAM, you got it. Its a progressive disease. Meaning it gets worse over time, never better. So for the longest time, I got drunk with little to no side-affects, it was the happiest time of my life. Slowly but surely, there would be more and more minor problems, until it PROGRESSED and snow-balled into a great big 6 month long criminal court trial. I lost everything. House, wife, kids, cars, career, friends, family, freedom, savings, investments, toys.
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Just seen this quote from the "Big Book" which I dont know much about but I know people who go to AA follow it.
"FOR MOST normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination. It means release from care, boredom and worry. It is joyous intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good."
BB, 4th Edition, page 151
So the Big Book seems to agree with me.
"FOR MOST normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination. It means release from care, boredom and worry. It is joyous intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good."
BB, 4th Edition, page 151
So the Big Book seems to agree with me.
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I think I liked being drunk more than other people. I very quickly didn't understand the point of drinking if you weren't going to get drunk.
But I also enjoyed being drunk particularly as a way to escape. Getting drunk was the only way I knew how to cope. Once I quit, I had to find other ways to cope.
Somebody posted recently that it's partly about a genetic predisposition and partly about poor coping skills. I think that's true for me.
I also have been reading this board for a while now, and I think there is never going to be one understanding we all share about alcoholism and the why and the how. I think you find an understanding for you that supports your sobriety and go with it.
But I also enjoyed being drunk particularly as a way to escape. Getting drunk was the only way I knew how to cope. Once I quit, I had to find other ways to cope.
Somebody posted recently that it's partly about a genetic predisposition and partly about poor coping skills. I think that's true for me.
I also have been reading this board for a while now, and I think there is never going to be one understanding we all share about alcoholism and the why and the how. I think you find an understanding for you that supports your sobriety and go with it.
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Join Date: Aug 2013
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Everyone is different and it's a complicated disease. I rarely, if ever, drank. Never much enjoyed it...Maybe one here and there. I didn't see the point of being drunk, I didn't like the fuzzy feeling at all.
And so it was, til I was in my early 30s. A traumatic event happened...and I spiralled into alcoholism.
The facts don't matter anymore. Proven or unproven. Categorising to me is just as dangerous as trying to define who, or who is not an alcoholic....the visions of someone down and out, stopped me and many others from getting help....living in denial.
And so it was, til I was in my early 30s. A traumatic event happened...and I spiralled into alcoholism.
The facts don't matter anymore. Proven or unproven. Categorising to me is just as dangerous as trying to define who, or who is not an alcoholic....the visions of someone down and out, stopped me and many others from getting help....living in denial.
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I do not like alcohol much at all, which makes me wonder how on earth I became habituated to it. I much preferred marijuana, which I quit a long time ago.
I did not drink until well after my 20s because I did not like alcohol's effects; even at that time I never liked it that much but that did not stop me from overdoing it, and now I have had to make a project out of quitting it.
I did not drink until well after my 20s because I did not like alcohol's effects; even at that time I never liked it that much but that did not stop me from overdoing it, and now I have had to make a project out of quitting it.
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Join Date: Jun 2013
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I always loved getting drunk especially in the early stages of heavy drinking.
But I feel like it hit a point where that enjoyment of getting drunk was surpassed by the fallback of getting drunk/ height of my addiction.
But I feel like it hit a point where that enjoyment of getting drunk was surpassed by the fallback of getting drunk/ height of my addiction.
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Join Date: Jul 2013
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Tough question with many opinions. For some yes. For me no. I enjoyed the escape. Actually, I enjoyed the thought or the obsession of the drink more than the drink its self. Sort of like sex, the idea or chase is more appealing than the act.
The problem, for me at least is the unsustainable nature of the addiction. Since feeding my addiction would never satisfy my desire since I was feeding a ghost or an illusion that did not exist no amount would ever quench. As tolerance builds then the amount of liquor (vodka in my case) would start to manifest as its own problem, physically and mentally (depression etc). Then reverse tolerance sets in but that is most likely due to moderate and early signs of liver damage. The drink process crowds out the rest of your life (progression) so that in the end you are only left staring at the bottom of an empty bottle wondering how you got here.
Drugs were the same for me - cocaine, Ritalin, Aderall. My love for the drink is the romance I enjoyed in my twenties not the past few years - this is how our minds trick us. We idealize the drink and romance but for those that relapse will tell you its never the same. That is because most hit some type of bottom to quit and the siren song is towards the old day not the bottom. But what you get is the bottom not the romance...tough dance and inherent to all addiction in my opinion.
However, you rationalize coming to terms through defining alcoholism is fine. The acceptance of who you are and what it does to you is what is important. I tried to create neat boxes to fit myself into early in sobriety to wrap my head around this disease/disorder. I have come to realize it does not really matter though. Truth is I cannot drink bc even a sip and it leads me back to my first posts, which I often revisit to remind myself of how insane I was when I quit.
Good luck and keep posting.
The problem, for me at least is the unsustainable nature of the addiction. Since feeding my addiction would never satisfy my desire since I was feeding a ghost or an illusion that did not exist no amount would ever quench. As tolerance builds then the amount of liquor (vodka in my case) would start to manifest as its own problem, physically and mentally (depression etc). Then reverse tolerance sets in but that is most likely due to moderate and early signs of liver damage. The drink process crowds out the rest of your life (progression) so that in the end you are only left staring at the bottom of an empty bottle wondering how you got here.
Drugs were the same for me - cocaine, Ritalin, Aderall. My love for the drink is the romance I enjoyed in my twenties not the past few years - this is how our minds trick us. We idealize the drink and romance but for those that relapse will tell you its never the same. That is because most hit some type of bottom to quit and the siren song is towards the old day not the bottom. But what you get is the bottom not the romance...tough dance and inherent to all addiction in my opinion.
However, you rationalize coming to terms through defining alcoholism is fine. The acceptance of who you are and what it does to you is what is important. I tried to create neat boxes to fit myself into early in sobriety to wrap my head around this disease/disorder. I have come to realize it does not really matter though. Truth is I cannot drink bc even a sip and it leads me back to my first posts, which I often revisit to remind myself of how insane I was when I quit.
Good luck and keep posting.
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ohio
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My friend in a meeting mentioned the very thing you talked about, He called it "The Ritual" and I think that is a pretty good word.
The "ritual" of getting drunk is what I loved in the beginning. The bar, the music, the pool table, the laughter, the people etc.
But then at some point that all changed. I was comfortable in the bar but then it flipped and I was only comfortable at the bar and I never related it to the alcohol.
It is so obvious now as I look back on it. I started being uncomfortable at home so I started drinking there too. Then it got to only at home. I was comfortable as long as I had my bottle and it was cheaper meaning I could drink more. I stopped going out because I could not handle the bar, I got way to drunk so staying home was my best option to drink the way I wanted to.
At the end I drank every night after work and I was drinking first thing Saturday morning until Sunday evening when I passed out because it was the only way I knew how to live.
The "ritual" of getting drunk is what I loved in the beginning. The bar, the music, the pool table, the laughter, the people etc.
But then at some point that all changed. I was comfortable in the bar but then it flipped and I was only comfortable at the bar and I never related it to the alcohol.
It is so obvious now as I look back on it. I started being uncomfortable at home so I started drinking there too. Then it got to only at home. I was comfortable as long as I had my bottle and it was cheaper meaning I could drink more. I stopped going out because I could not handle the bar, I got way to drunk so staying home was my best option to drink the way I wanted to.
At the end I drank every night after work and I was drinking first thing Saturday morning until Sunday evening when I passed out because it was the only way I knew how to live.
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 70
I enjoyed being buzzed/drunk for years. I worked all week looking to Friday night to the point that if we had to work Saturday, it was a catastrophe. Should have known then. But I've had some good, wild times drinking.
In the end, it wasn't fun. It hasn't been fun in over a year. I don't anymore remember drinking. Bits and pieces. I could "Look normal" enough to go get more, I suppose. But I was getting more to stave off getting sick because getting sick now means "worse this time than the last".
In the end, it wasn't fun. It hasn't been fun in over a year. I don't anymore remember drinking. Bits and pieces. I could "Look normal" enough to go get more, I suppose. But I was getting more to stave off getting sick because getting sick now means "worse this time than the last".
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